Eddie Betts makes his official Carlton Blues return on Sunday, the beloved goalsneak pulling on the navy blue once again as they host the Brisbane Lions at Ikon Park. Join The Roar for live scores from 6:40pm (AEDT).

After missing the Blues’ first Marsh Community Series match after being selected for State of Origin ‘duties, goalsneak Betts’ homecoming begins at the club’s old fortress of Ikon Park. To add to the excitement for Blues fans, he’s back in his old #19 guernsey that he wore for 184 games between 2005 and 2013.

The Blues have been tipped to rise up the ladder in 2020 after several ordinary seasons, and new full-time coach David Teague will be keen to end the pre-season a winner, after a disappointing loss to Fremantle in Game 1 last week.

They don’t need to look far to see how quickly things can click into gear – the Lions were last year’s fairytale story, emphatically ending a nine-year finals drought to finish the home-and-away season second.

But a pair of home final losses to end their year will sting for the Lions’ senior players, and this clash of two teams with plenty of young stars between them could well be a Grand Final preview for sometime this decade.